# weechat/weechat

The extensible chat client.

Repository: https://github.com/weechat/weechat
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/weechat
Homepage: https://weechat.org
Language: C
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: chat, irc, c, extensible, scripting, python, perl, ruby, lua, tcl, javascript, scheme, php, client
Last push: 2026-08-25T19:56:41+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 98/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 96, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4566, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 31, "gap_med": 22.0, "n_releases_24m": 23}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3371, forks 362 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:58.397952+00:00)

## What it is
WeeChat is a fast, lightweight, modular chat client with a text-based (terminal) user interface, primarily focused on IRC. It is highly customizable and extensible via C plugins and scripts in eight languages, and supports remote interfaces through its relay protocol.

## Use cases
- use irc from the terminal
- stay connected to irc channels on a server 24/7
- customize my chat client with python scripts
- connect to irc from my phone through a relay
- run an irc proxy or bouncer-like setup
- script and automate chat client behavior
- lightweight chat client for a headless linux box

## When to choose
- You want a fast, scriptable terminal IRC client with multi-server, SASL, SSL and proxy support
- You want to keep a persistent chat session on a server and connect remotely from web, mobile or GUI clients
- You want to extend chat functionality with plugins or scripts in Python, Perl, Lua, Ruby, Tcl, Scheme, JavaScript or PHP

## When to avoid
- You need a modern graphical chat client with native notifications and media previews
- You primarily use non-IRC protocols like Slack or Discord without third-party bridges
- You prefer a zero-configuration chat app rather than a highly customizable, option-heavy tool

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: chat-interface, plugin-system, cli, terminal-ui
- domain: messaging-platforms, developer-tools, self-hosted
- platform: windows, bsd, cross-platform, cli
- tags: irc-client, terminal-chat, relay-protocol, scriptable, irc-proxy, remote-interfaces, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- weechat/weechat (main) score 98

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:58.397952+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:39:57.462637+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/weechat/weechat (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:58.397952+00:00, sha 081c8607cf88)
  - homepage: https://weechat.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.047743+00:00, sha a0722692db54)
  - site_page: https://weechat.org/about (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.050229+00:00, sha f8344fa0aba5)
  - site_page: https://weechat.org/about/features (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.053972+00:00, sha 331e027b96df)
  - site_page: https://weechat.org/about/screenshots (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.055645+00:00, sha 2f8ca77e46cd)
  - site_page: https://weechat.org/about/interfaces (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.057160+00:00, sha 57f17ae8950f)
  - site_page: https://weechat.org/about/screenshots/relay (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.058780+00:00, sha 10885ff17a0c)
  - site_page: https://weechat.org/about/support (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.060723+00:00, sha e343196ae3ee)
  - site_page: https://weechat.org/about/history (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.063110+00:00, sha e545022497d9)
  - site_page: https://weechat.org/doc (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:41.052218+00:00, sha 16338e1b2e14)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.